Bacon's Essays/Of Unitie in Religion

by Francis Bacon

II

OF UNITY IN RELIGION

Religion being the chiefe Band^[1] of humane^[2] Society, it is a happy thing when it selfe is well contained within the true Band^[1] of Unity. The Quarrels and divisions about Religion were Evils unknowne to the Heathen. The Reason was, because the Religion of the Heathen consisted rather in Rites and Ceremonies then in any constant Beleefe. For you may imagine what kinde of Faith theirs was, when the chiefe Doctors^[3] and Fathers of their Church were the Poets. But the true God hath this Attribute, That he is a Iealous God; And therefore, his worship and Religion will endure no Mixture, nor Partner. We shall therefore speake a few words concerning the Unity of the Church; What are the Fruits thereof; what the Bounds; And what the Meanes?

The Fruits of Unity (next unto the well Pleasing of God, which is All in All) are two ; The One, towards those that are without the Church; The Other, towards those that are within. For^[4] the Former; It is certaine that Heresies and Schismes are of all others the greatest Scandals ; yea more then^[5] Corruption of Manners. For as, in the Naturall Body, a Wound or Solution of Continuity^[6] is worse then a Corrupt Humor, So in the Spirituall. So that nothing doth so much keepe Men out of the Church, and drive Men out of the Church, as Breach of Unity: And therefore, whensoever it commeth to that passe that one saith, Ecce in Deserto^[7] Another saith, Ecce in penetralibus^[8]; That is, when some Men seeke Christ in the Conventicles of Heretikes, and others in an Outward Face of a Church, that voice had need continually to sound in Men s Eares, Nolite exire,—Goe not out. The Doctor^[9] of the Gentiles (the Propriety^[10] of whose Vocation drew him to have a speciall care of those without) saith, If an Heathen come in, and heare you speake with several! Tongues, Will he not say that you are mad? And certainly, it is little better, when Atheists and prophane Persons do heare of so many Discordant and Contrary Opinions in Religion. It doth avert^[11] them from the Church, and maketh them To sit downe in the chaire of the Scorners. It is but a light Thing to be Vouched^[12] in so Serious a Matter, but yet it expresseth well the Deformity. There is a Master of Scoffing, that in his Catalogue of Books of a faigned Library sets Downe this Title of a Booke, The morris daunce of Heretikes. For indeed every Sect of them hath a Divers^[13] Posture or Cringe^[14] by them selves, which cannot but Move Derision in Worldlings and Depraved Politickes^[15], who are apt to contemne Holy Things.

As for the Fruit towards those that are within, It is Peace, which containeth infinite Blessings: It^[16] establish eth Faith; It kindleth Charity; The outward Peace of the Church Distilleth into Peace of Conscience And it turneth the Labours of Writing and Reading of Controversies into Treaties^[17] of Mortification and Devotion.

Concerning the Bounds of Unity; The true Placing of them importeth exceedingly^[18]. There appeare to be two extremes. For to certaine Zelants^[19] all Speech of Pacification is odious. Is it peace, Iehu ? What hast thou to doe with peace? turne thee behinde me. Peace is not the Matter^[20], but Following and Party. Contrariwise, certaine Laodiceans and Luke-warme Persons thinke they may accommodate^[21] Points of Religion by Middle Waies, and taking part of both, And witty^[22] Reconcilements, As if they would make an Arbitrement betweene God and Man. Both these Extremes are to be avoyded; which will be done, if the League of Christians, penned by our Saviour himselfe, were in the two crosse^[23] Clauses thereof soundly and plainly expounded; He that is not with us is against us: And againe, He that is not against us is with us: That is, if the Points Fundamentall and of Substance in Religion were truly discerned and distinguished from Points not meerely^[24] of Faith, but of Opinion, Order, or good Intention. This is a Thing may seeme to many a Matter triviall, and done already; But if it were done lesse partially^[25], it would be embraced more generally.

Of this I may give onely this Advice, according to my small Modell^[26]. Men ought to take heede of rending God's Church by two kinds of Controversies. The one is, when the Matter of the Point controverted is too small and light, not worth the Heat and Strife about it, kindled onely by Contradiction. For, as it is noted by one of the Fathers, Christ's Coat, indeed, had no seame, But the Church's Vesture way of divers colours; whereupon he saith, In veste varietas sit, scissura non sit ^[27]; They be two Things, Unity and Uniformity. The other is, when the Matter of the Point Controverted is great, but it is driven to an over-great Subtilty and Obscurity; So that it becommeth a Thing rather Ingenious then Substantial!. A man that is of Iudgement and understanding shall sometimes heare Ignorant Men differ, and know well within himselfe that those which so differ meane one thing^[28], and yet they themselves would never agree. And if it come so to passe, in that distance of Iudgement^[29] which is betweene Man and Man, Shall wee not thinke that God above, that knowes the Heart, doth not^[30] discerne that fraile Men, in some of their Contradictions, intend the same thing, and accepteth^[31] of both? The Nature of such Controversies is excellently expressed by St. Paul, in the Warning and Precept that he giveth concerning the same, Devita profanas vocum Novitates, et Oppositiones falsi Nominis Scientitæ ^[32]. Men create Oppositions which are not^[33], And put them into new termes, so fixed as^[34], whereas the Meaning ought to governe the Terme, the Terme in effect governeth the Meaning. There be also two false Peaces, or Unities; The one, when the Peace is grounded but upon an implicite^[35] ignorance; For all Colours will agree in the Darke: The other, when it is peeced^[36] up, upon a direct Admission of Contraries in Fundamentall Points. For Truth and Falshood, in such things, are like the Iron and Clay in the toes of Nabucadnezar's Image; They may Cleave, but they will not Incorporate.

Concerning the Meanes of procuring Unity; Men must beware that, in the Procuring or Muniting^[37] of Religious Unity, they doe not Dissolve and Deface the Lawes of Charity and of humane^[38] Society. There be two Swords amongst Christians, the Spirituall and Temporall; And both have their due Office and place in the maintenance of Religion. But we may not take up the Third sword, which is Mahomet's Sword, or like unto it; That is, to propagate^[39] Religion by Warrs, or by Sanguinary Persecutions to force Consciences; except it be in cases of Overt Scandall, Blasphemy, or Intermixture of Practize^[40] against the State; Much lesse to Nourish Seditions; To Authorize Conspiracies and Rebellions; To put the Sword into the People's Hands, And the like, Tending to the Subversion of all Government, which is the Ordinance of God. For this is but to dash the first Table against the Second, And so to consider Men as Christians, as^[41] we forget that they are Men. Lucretius the Poet, when he beheld the Act of Agamemnon, that could endure the Sacrificing of his owne Daughter, exclaimed—

Tanium Relligio potuit suadere malorum^[42].

What would he have said, if he had knowne of the Mas sacre in France, or the Powder Treason of England? He would have beene Seven times more Epicure^[43] and Atheist then he was. For as the temporall Sword is to bee drawne with great circumspection in Cases of Religion, So it is a thing monstrous to put it into the hands of the Common People. Let that bee left unto the Anabaptists and other Furies. It was great Blasphemy, when the Devill said, I will ascend and be like the Highest; But it is greater Blasphemy to personate^[44] God, and bring him in^[45] saying, I will descend and be like the Prince of Darknesse; And what^[46] is it better, to make the cause of religion to descend to the cruell and execrable Actions of Murthering Princes, Butchery of People, and subversion of States and Governments? Surely, this is to bring Downe the Holy Ghost, instead of the Liknesse of a Dove, in the Shape of a Vulture or Raven; And to set, out of the Barke of a Christian Church, a Flaggy of a Barque of Pirats and Assassins. Therfore it is most necessary, that the Church by Doctrine and Decree; Princes by their Sword; And all Learnings, both Christian and Morall, as by their Mercury Rod; Doe Damne and send to Hell for ever those Facts^[47] and Opinions tending to the Support of the same; As hath beene already in good part done. Surely in Counsels Concerning Religion, that Counsel of the Apostle would be^[48] prefixed, Ira hominis non implet Iusticiam Dei^[49]. And it was a notable Observation of a wise Father, And no lesse ingenuously confessed, That those, which held and perswaded ^[50] pressure of Consciences, were commonly interessed ^[51] therin themselves for their owne ends.

 

1. bond
2. human
3. teachers
4. As for
5. than passim
6. laceration
7. Behold, he is in the desert:
8. Behold, he is in the secret chambers
9. teacher
10. distinguishing property
11. repel
12. cited
13. different
14. extravagant gesture
15. politicians
16. i.e. Peace
17. treatises
18. is exceedingly important
19. zealots
20. sc. in which they are interested
21. compromise
22. ingenious
23. contradicted
24. not entirely
25. with less of party spirit
26. limited design
27. In the garment there may be divers colours, but let there be no rent.
28. the same thing
29. difference in intelectual capacity
30. omit the redundant not
31. approves
32. Avoid profane and vain bablings and oppositions of science falsely so called
33. which have no existence
34. that
35. inherent
36. patched
37. fortifying
38. human
39. the propagation of
40. plotting
41. that
42. So great were the evils to which religion could prompt
43. Epicurean
44. assign a part in the drama
45. on the stage
46. deeds
47. needs to be
48. needs to be
49. The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God
50. inculcated
51. interested